War of aggression

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A war of aggression, sometimes also war of choice, is a military conflict waged without the justification of self-defense, often for territorial gain and subjugation as a war of conquest, in contrast with the concept of a just war or war of necessity. Wars without international legality (i.e. not out of self-defense nor sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council) can be considered wars of aggression. However, this alone usually does not constitute the definition of a war of aggression: certain wars may be unlawful but not aggressive (a war to settle a boundary dispute where the initiator has a reasonable claim, and limited aims, is one example). In the judgment of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, which followed World War II, "War is essentially an evil thing. Its consequences are not confined to the belligerent states alone, but affect the whole world. To initiate a war of aggression, therefore, is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international...

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